


Broken Embers

by EvalynnMesserli



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Shattered Glass
Genre: Angst, Blood, Drinking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Prisoner of War, implied prostitution, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 04:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19288570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvalynnMesserli/pseuds/EvalynnMesserli
Summary: Goldbug is captured by the Decepticons. Starscream has to occasionally guard him. The two end up bonding and becoming friends and maybe even more. Or do they...? For Starbee week





	Broken Embers

**Author's Note:**

> So this is really fucking late because my computer decided to be stupid but whatever. This is for day 4 of Starbee week. Prompt: Shattered Glass. This is the longest fic yet and I'm tired.

"You're pathetic, you know that."

"You might have mentioned that already."

"And idiotically naive."

"Uh-huh."

"...and a nerd."

"Alright!" Starscream finally exclaimed, powering off his datapad and looking over at the prisoner. "I'm getting the feeling you want to talk."

Goldbug gave him a look and the fact that Starscream knew exactly what he was conveying was a testament to how often he had been guarding him considering the Autobot had no mouth and a visor. Though Soundwave had probably given him some practice.

"Well considering I have no other options besides sitting here and rusting or dying of boredom, what do you think?" Goldbug sneered, leaning against one of the walls of his private cell. Megatron had deemed him too dangerous to be put with other prisoners and so he was on his own. That along with requiring a guard at times meant that Starscream had been having a lot of one-on-one time with him.

"What, planning on trying to get some information out of me to give to your Autobot friends?"

Goldbug scoffed. "Do you really think they're coming to get me?" he asked. "Since no one's come to even attempt to rescue me yet I doubt they're coming at all."

"And what about when you go and make your escape?"

Goldbug actually laughed at that. "I'm flattered that you're so confident in my abilities, but look around," he gestured to the nearly empty cell, only a berth shoved in the corner keeping it from being completely bare. "You didn't really leave me much to work with here after my first attempt. Only thing I can think of now is to try and seduce the guard, but that's not happening with you since you're such a prude. Pits, you're probably still sealed!"

"I've interfaced before!" Starscream snapped, glaring at the snickering minibot. "Even so, you're right, you're not going to seduce me or any of the other guards so give it up and be quiet already!"

"But I'm bored," Goldbug complained as he slid down the wall so he was no longer standing.

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Well…" he shifted and spread his legs slightly, trailing a few digits down his front, "we could have some fun…"

"Really?" Starscream deadpanned.

Goldbug shrugged. "Worth a shot."

\---------------

"Anyone die today?"

"Why would anyone be dead?"

"Well we are in the middle of a war and I didn't know if there's been any battle since, you know, I'm not getting any news at all."

"Do you want me to tell you next time there's a battle?"

"No."

"Primus, you're impossible."

"I'm kidding, afthead."

\---------------

"So can I call you Starlight?"

"Why do you want to call me Starlight?"

"Because that's what I thought your name was up until I was captured because that's what Prime calls you and it'd just be easier for me."

"...please don't."

"Whatever you say Starshine."

\--------------

"So, what if metal is actually soft."

"What?"

"Not like living metal, just regular metal. Like it's soft but then it tenses up out of fear when we touch it so that's why we think it's hard."

"That's scientifically impossible because of the way molecules in metal work and are arranged-"

"Nevermind! I don't care!"

"Well alright then."

"...do you think building have feelings?"

\--------------

“Why’re you always typing away at a datapad when you’re in here?”

“I still have work I need to get done. I’m not stopping just because I sometimes have guard duty.”

“I’m surprised you actually have guard duty at all. Aren’t you the Second-in-Command?”

“I’m one of the only ones Lord Megatron completely trusts to guard you and one of the few with clearance to enter this room at all. You are a high profile Autobot after all.”

“Aw, I’m so flattered, but you know Prime would never stick his inner circle with grunt work, no matter how high profile the Con.”

“I’m honored to serve my lord in anyway he asks of me.”

“Like sucking his spike? Though you’d probably like that.”

“S-shut up!”

“Ooh, someone’s got a crush!”

“Primus give me strength.”

“To take a big bot like Megatron? Yeah, you’ll need lots of that. Well, that and a lot of stretching.”

“I hate you so much.”

“I know you mean love!”

\---------------

“What happened to you?” Starscream asked, shocked at the state of Goldbug when he entered for his shift.

Chunks of his armor plating were missing, revealing his battered protoform, and wires stuck out at odd angles between seams. A few of his digits on his left servo were missing and his right arm hung limply in an odd position by his side. His legs were missing patches of paint and burns criss-crossed his entire frame. Getting closer Starscream saw he was sitting in a concerningly large puddle of energon and his normally bright visor was dim.

Goldbug turned his helm toward him and Starscream saw that a chunk of his mask was missing, showing him that he did actually have an oral intake under there.

“Why’re you so worried?” Goldbug mumbled, just barely loud enough for Starscream to hear.

“Because you just looked like you’ve been dropped off a cliff and are about to offline.”

“So? I’m the enemy.”

“I’ve seen enough death in this war, I don’t want to see another if I can help it,” he told him. “No matter who they are. Now who did this to you?”

Goldbug snorted through his vents.

“I’m serious.”

“I know you are and it’s completely stupid.” He shifted, the tiny movement making him wince. “Fine, you want to know who? It was whoever was on interrogating duty today. He apparently got annoyed at my lack of answers and decided that he wasn’t going to get one of your medics to fix me up. There, happy now?”

Starscream felt revulsion pool into his tanks. He knew Goldbug was being interrogated and what that involved, but he’d never been able to handle going to any kind of tortured based interrogation. He saw what it did to Megatron and Soundwave whenever they were present, how it hurt and drained them each time.He knew it was necessary for certain prisoners to get whatever intel they had and with such a high ranking prisoner, he knew it was definitely going to happen to Goldbug, but Megatron always made sure that the prisoners were patched up again so they wouldn’t die. It probably added it’s own form of mental torture to them but at least it spared their lives. Starscream usually tried to ignore it was ever happening, though that feat was difficult when it was right in front of him.

“What? Didja not know I was bein’ tortured e’ery cycle?” Goldbug slurred, shaking Starscream out of his thoughts. “An’ I thought you’re the Second-in-Command.”

“I knew it was happening, it’s just...I don’t like to think about it too hard…” Starscream trailed off as Goldbug laughed loudly.

“See? That’s the problem with you Cons. Ya ne’er like to acknowledge when you do somethin’ that’s not a part of yer perfectly pure image. You’re all just a bunch of hypocrites.”

“That’s not how we see ourselves,” Starscream protested, but it only sent Goldbug into another painful looking laughing fit.

“Sure you don’t,” he wheezed. “At least we Autobots admit that we’re not perfect and don’t bother with all that sentimental nonsense.”

“At least we don’t abandon each other in our enemy’s clutches and leave them to rot like your little Autobot friends,” Starscream snapped, going straight for something he knew Goldbug was upset about and almost immediately regretting it when the minibot gave him a shocked look. 

He should apologize, but he didn't. Instead he simply said, “I’ll get Hook to fix you up and talk to Megatron about this,” and left, trying to ignore how the look on Goldbug’s faceplates had hurt his ember.

\---------------

“How’re you holding up?” Starscream asked. Goldbug glanced at him from his place on the berth before returning to ignoring him. He looked a lot better than he had last time Starscream had seen him. He was still missing some plating and a few cracks were visible but at least now he didn’t look like he was dying. “You could have told me that Lord Megatron wasn’t overseeing the interrogation and that it was worse than normal. At least you’re looking better now”

Goldbug didn’t say anything. Just laid there silently staring up at the ceiling.

“...I brought you some high-grade.” 

That got his attention. Goldbug looked at him properly for the first time since he’d entered the room. Starscream held out a large energon rod for the prisoner to see, trying to give him an encouraging smile.

Slowly, Goldbug got into a standing position and limped over, glaring at the green liquid as if trying to decide it was a trap.

“...what’s it for?”

“An apology for what happened last cycle and for saying what I did. That was uncalled for on my part and I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that, especially since you were in pain. So I’m sorry.”

Goldbug stared at him in surprise for a moment before ducking his helm and muttering something quietly. If Starscream hadn’t known any better he would have thought he was embarrassed.

“What was that?”

“Just hand over the high-grade!” Goldbug snapped and held out his servo, and as Starscream gave the rod over, he couldn’t help but think he looked oddly cute.

“Get that stupid smile off your faceplates.”

\---------------

“And then he tripped right into the acid pit!” Goldbug cackled, a wide grin splitting across his young looking faceplates as he told the story of how a Con had tried to kill him and had ended up dying instead.

Over the last few decacycles, Goldbug had started wearing his battle mask less and less around Starscream until he’d eventually just stopped all together. At first, Starscream had been surprised by the cute and round faceplates he had, but it had slowly started growing on him.

“That...doesn’t seem like a very fun story…” 

Goldbug loudly sighed. “You’re such a killjoy. Fine, you tell me a better story then.”

“I don’t know…”

“What? Do you really think that I’m going to be giving any kind of info you tell me to anyone? I think we both know at this point I’m not getting out of here anytime soon.”

“...well, there was this one time when Soundwave got drunk and attached wheels to a table…”

\---------------

“Why’re you so nice to me?”

“What?”

“No one else is this friendly and willing to actually interact with me like you do. So why?”

“I...don’t know.”

“Oh.”

\------------

“I want you to frag me.”

“You’re drunk, Goldbug.”

“And who’s fault is that? Now get in here, I want to feel you inside me.”

“No, I’m not interfacing-CLOSE YOUR PANEL!”

\---------------

“Why’d you join the Decepticons?”

The question caught Starscream off guard and he looked at Goldbug, expecting him to crack up and make a joke, but he looked completely serious.

“Why do you want to know that?” he asked. Goldbug shrugged and looked down at his servos, digits tracing designs on his legs.

“I’m just curious.”

“Well, it’s because Prime destroyed Crystal City simply because I refused to join him, slaughtering millions of innocent bots and leaving me to watch the carnage. I wanted to make sure that never happened again.”

Goldbug hummed in response but didn’t do much else, just continued to stare down at his leg.

“What about you?” Starscream asked. “Why’d you join the Autobots?”

Goldbug hesitated for a moment, Starscream thinking he’d try to change the subject or refuse to talk, before speaking. “Simple, they’re the closest thing to a family I’ve ever known.

“I wasn’t always Goldbug, I used to be called Bumblebee. An unwanted and pathetically tiny bot who was thrown out onto the streets almost immediately after coming online. I grew up having to fend for myself and stealing just to survive. Doing anything to survive. I didn’t matter, not to the government and not to normal bots who lived their lives oblivious of those like me with nothing but their frame to call their own, and sometimes not even that. I was worthless in the optics of everyone, even myself, until I joined the Autobots. They, Prime, gave me a purpose and a meaning. They made me worth something and so the second I was given the chance I left Bumblebee behind and became Goldbug, became someone new, someone better, someone stronger who could decide what they wanted to be and didn’t have to bend to the will of others. That’s why I joined.”

Starscream stared at Goldbug in silence, shocked that he’d gotten such an extensive answer, honestly not expecting that at all. The lull dragged on as the seeker struggled to think of what to say, not sure what was needed in that moment. Not until Goldbug finally looked up to make optic contact with him.

“I don’t think you’re weak or worthless.”

“Not anymore.”

“You were never weak and you were always worth something, even when you were Bumblebee.”

“That’s not what everyone else thought.”

“Everyone else was wrong.”

“...huh…”

“...can I call you Bumblebee?”

“...Bee would be better.”

\---------------

“Why did they just leave me here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have they tried to rescue me? Are you just not telling me everything?”

“I swear I’m not lying. There have been no attempts to rescue you or any mention of your name from anyone.”

“Oh.”

“...I’m so sorry.”

\--------------

“Interface with me.”

“You’re drunk.”

“You know I’m not.”

“Then if anyone asks, I’m drunk.”

\----------------

“I love you,” Bee whispered into his audial as he lay on top of Starscream, the words startling the Con.

“W-what?” he said dumbly, pulling a fond laugh from the minibot curled on his front.

“I said I love you.”

“Oh.”

“Do you love me back?”

“Maybe.”

\---------------

“I think I love you too.”

“About time. Only took you what? Four frags?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Make me.”

\---------------

An explosion shook the entire base as Starscream ran to the holding cells, desperate to reach Bee before the whole place went down.

“Star? What’s happening?” Bee questioned as Starscream ran in and began to frantically type in the release code, having to repeat it twice due to his nerves.

“Autobots are attacking. They’re bent on taking this place to the ground.”

“How’d they even find it?” Bee asked, stepping out of the cell for the first time since his capture. 

“Who knows. All that matters now is that they did and we need to get out of here before it goes down.” Starscream held out his servo and began running as soon as Bee took it, dragging him along.

“This would be so much easier if you’d take off that programming blocking my t-cog,” Bee complained as they rushed through the halls of the base, trying to find an exit.

“That’ll take too long,” Starscream apologized, optics zeroing in on a window. He turned and grabbed Bee, awkwardly carrying him in his arms as he sprinted towards the glass. “Hold on tight!” he warned before leaping through, glass shattering around them, the two falling for a few moments before Starscream transformed, Bee clinging to him as he began flying to the rendezvous point, thinking they’d made it, that they were safe.

Oh how the universe loved to laugh at him.

Just like most of his life loved to go, the second Starscream relaxed and put his guard down, something hit him, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream struggled to get up, his audials ringing and HUD warnings flashing across his vision. When he finally cleared the warnings away enough to see, he found himself on the other side of a gun, the owner sneering at him.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” she crooned. “The Decepticon Second-in-Command at my mercy. Isn’t this a lucky shot.” Starscream glared at her as he struggled to stand, searching for Bee while also trying not to take his eyes off the Autobot. She seemed to find this funny.

“Aw, you look so angry. Maybe we should put a stop to that.” The gun built up its energy for a shot and Starscream knew he wasn’t going to be able to dodge it. There was something wrong with one of his wings and his balance was all off. All he could hope for was that it was quick and that Bee had managed to get away. Please, at least let him be safe.

Starscream shuttered his optics and waited for death, but it never came. Instead he heard a grunt and the clattering of a gun hitting the ground.

“Goldbug?!” the Autobot exclaimed, causing Starscream to power on his optics to find Bee standing in front of him, pointing the femme’s gun at her shocked face. “We thought you were dead!” she said, standing up but almost immediately ducking down as Bee fired a shot in the ground next to her.

“That was a warning shot,” he told her, voice cold. He took a few steps forward and turned to face Starscream, a stupid move since it took his optics off of the femme, but she wasn’t attacking, just looking on in confusion.

“Bee…” Starscream started, trying to stand, a smile forming on his face. They were going to be alright. Bee would leave the Autobots behind and they’d meet up with the others, they could be together properly, everything would be perfect-

Starscream screamed in agony as his shoulder and undamaged wing suddenly erupted into pain, throwing him back.

“You idiot,” Bee sneered and for a moment Starscream wasn’t sure who he was talking to, him or the femme. “This one’s for Prime to kill only.”

Starscream fought to sit up, staring in betrayed horror as Bee grabbed the femme by the arm to haul her to her pedes, not even looking back at the seeker, realization dawning on him.

He’d been used.

“Let’s get going,” Bee said, his voice seeming far away and not entirely real. “Prime will be interested to hear everything I managed to learn while imprisoned.

He’d been seduced.

Bee and the femme began walking away, the minibot grumbling the whole time about getting his t-cog unblocked but Star could barely understand what was being said.

He’d fallen for it.

Bee glanced back one time at the injured seeker, gaze cold, his mask snapping back for a moment to smirk at the emberbroken mech he’d left behind, no doubt seeing it as a game he’d won, before putting it back in place and turning away.

Starscream screamed.

\----------------

He tried to ignore it, the pain in his ember as he heard Starscream’s cries of betrayal and hurt. Tried to ignore the urge to turn back and hold him tight, to apologize for hurting him, to tell him how much he loved him. He wanted to, he really did. Wanted nothing more than to run back and kiss that stupid face. He didn’t though.

It was better this way. Starscream made him weak, made him believe and feel things that weren’t real, were just stupid, naive sparkling fantasies. He should have just killed him, should have just snuffed out his ember then and there, but at the last second he hadn’t been able to. Weakness. Pathetic weakness was what had stopped him. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

“Prime’s going to be glad to see you, Goldbug,” the femme beside him said. “I know he’ll definitely be happy to hear what you’ve learned.”

That’s right, that’s his designation. Not Bumblebee. Bumblebee was the weak and worthless mech that had allowed himself to become open to such stupidity. He wasn’t Bumblebee. He would never again be Bumblebee.

“Oh, I know he will be,” Goldbug smirked. “You can count on it.”


End file.
